Conventional keyboards include any number of physical keys for inputting information (e.g., characters) into the computing device. Typically, the user presses or otherwise movably actuates a key to provide input corresponding to the key. In addition to providing inputs for characters, a keyboard may include movably actuated keys related to function inputs. For example, a keyboard may include an “escape” or “esc” key to allow a user to activate an escape or exit function. In many keyboards, a set of functions keys for function inputs are located in a “function row.” Typically, a set of keys for alphanumeric characters is located in a part of the keyboard that is closest to the user and a function row is located is a part of the keyboard that is further away from the user but adjacent to the alphanumeric characters. A keyboard may also include function keys that are not part of the aforementioned function row.
With the advent and popularity of portable computing devices, such as laptop computers, the area consumed by the dedicated keyboard may be limited by the corresponding size of a display. Compared with a peripheral keyboard for a desktop computer, a dedicated keyboard that is a component of a portable computing device may have fewer keys, smaller keys, or keys that are closer together to allow for a smaller overall size of the portable computing device.
Conventional dedicated keyboards are static and fixed in time regardless of the changes on a display. Furthermore, the functions of software application displayed on a screen are typically accessed via toolbars and menus that a user interacts with by using a mouse. This periodically requires the user to switch modes and move the location of his/her hands between keyboard and mouse. Alternatively, the application's functions are accessed via complicated key combinations that require memory and practice. As such, it is desirable to provide an I/O device and method that addresses the shortcomings of conventional systems.